Page 62 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part two
“Bodies,” Shadow says, pointing to the corner. “At least two.”
We can see the eerie glow of the computer screen and make our way toward it. The sounds die down outside, and I hear pounding boots coming down the stairs. I spin around to see some familiar masks, and I can pick out Tivon in the front just from his size. With them at our back, we turn the corner, and that’s when Tivon sees the bodies. We see the guy at the desk at the same time, and Tivon’s gun comes up.
“He’s just a kid!” Shadow yells. “It’s just a kid!”
A kid, no more than twelve or thirteen, spins around in the chair, tears pouring down his cheeks. “They took him.”
“Took who?” I ask, trying to soften my voice. There’s not much I can do about the AK or the mask to make this easier.
“My brother.” The kid breaks down into heart wrenching sobs and points a shaky finger to the bodies. “They killed my parents.”
Tivon walks by me, pulls his mask off, and squats in front of the kid. “My name is Tivon. I need to look at these computers.” My eyes widen when Tivon pulls a knife from his leg sheath, but then I see that the kid is tied to the chair. Tivon cuts him free and helps him stand. “That guy in the very back? His name is Cole. He’s going to get you out of here, okay?”
“Okay,” the kid sobs, trying everything he can not to look at his dead parents. The kid practically runs to Cole, and Cole ushers him back upstairs.
“Where’s Tyler?” I ask when the room is clear. The silence is fucking loud, and I rip my mask off. “Where thefuckis Tyler?”
“We don’t know,” Ari answers quietly. “Axel and Keon are still searching, but it’s a lot of area to cover.”
“Then why the fuck are we all just standing around here?!”
“We’ll all go look, but we didn’t know what you were walking into here after the mess outside,” Tivon answers. “Cryptic wasn’t leading us into a trap or to him. He was trying to save his brother.”
“We found tire tracks,” Axel says. “No sign of Tyler.”
My heart fucking sinks. Does that mean someone took him? I rush outside, ignoring Ari calling out for me. I feel a hand on my shoulder when I come through the doors and spin around, ready to knock out whoever is trying to stop me. Shadow holds his hands up. “I’m going to help.”
I hear Tivon over comms telling everyone else to help while he packs up the computers. Not long after, everyone is outsidesearching every square inch of the property, only to come up empty handed. The only clue we have is the tire tracks, which I stand staring at for five minutes like they’ll give me all the answers in the world.
“We need to regroup,” Keon says, walking to stand beside me. “We’ll come back at first light, but it’s too fucking dark right now.” I know he’s right, but I feel like I’m giving up on him. Before I can blink, I’m in Keon’s arms. “We’ll find him. Nolan says he’s still getting information from Cryptic, which means he has answers. We just have to do it the unconventional way.”
“Something tells me Cryptic isn’t a fully willing participant,” I admit, pulling from the hug. “Or, he’s not now.”
“Let’s go home, get some rest, and figure out our next steps.”
I let Keon lead me to the SUV, and I can feel the emptiness in the car without Tyler’s presence.
I refuse to give up on him. Whoever took him will pay in blood for their mistake.
27
JASON
Note to self: never play UNO with a psychopath.
Blaze, Kira, Eli, Jax, and I started playing after the guys left to keep us distracted. Kane had some work to take care of, so he excused himself to the back porch. At first I was terrified of Kane and Blaze, but I’ve actually gotten to know them. I mean, Blaze is crazy, but he’s really funny. Until you’re holding a draw four the whole game afraid to lay it down. Finally, I have no other choice, and place it on the pile. Blaze’s eyes snap to mine, and I swallow.
“What the fuck is that?” he asks.
Kira smacks his arm. “Blaze, stop. You’re scaring him.”
“He should be scared,” Blaze mutters, picking up his four cards.
“It’s just a game, Blaze,” Jaxon laughs.
“Well, this game is bullshit.”
We continue through the game until it’s just me and Blaze. I can feel my heart pounding out of my chest, and seconds later, my watch starts alerting me that my heart rate is too high.Stupid snitch. I pick up a card and almost cry when I see it’s a reverse, which means I’ll be out after this hand. I lay it down quickly, callUNO, and lay my other card down. Blaze looks at the pile and then looks at me. He slowly lays his cards down and crosses his arms on the table.
